[Tango-L] How many steps does a tango make?

[Deby Novitz]

According to Mimi Santapa, Roberto Dentone, and Carina Moriyuen when we 
were talking about this, tango is a walk, a giro, and an ocho.  They 
call these movements not steps and they make up around 40 sequences.  
Semantically speaking, steps are a series of movements and sequences 
that are memorized and not led. You can create as many steps as you want 
because they are memorized and not led.  So the person who mentioned in 
their post that there are as many steps as there are people to pay for 
them is probably pretty much correct.

All tangos have movements and sequences.  All dancers dance them.  Each 
with their own style.  When these are put together and taught as steps - 
memorized by students - they become the clones of the dancers who 
created them, whether they can do them or not. The name brands are 
famous for creating new steps they can charge lots of money for.  
Students who cannot walk sign up to learn the latest steps hoping to 
dance like the name brand teacher/dancer.  After they are completely 
confused and unable to remember one thing they were taught, they figure 
that private lessons with the name brand will solve that problem.  When 
it doesn't it is on to the next name brand to learn a whole set of new 
steps.  All in hopes of becoming a better dancer.

The key to tango is to enjoy your dance.